"Wake up!" Hydrus's eyes snapped open. "We need to get ready!"

He'd only just managed to sit up when a bit of fabric slapped him in the face. Pulling it away he realised it was Bellatrix's dress, and took a moment to admire her nude form as she finished stripping. Love might've been further from his mind than ever before, but that almost made it easier for him to be able to appreciate such things. It really was amazing what not spending over a decade in Azkaban could do for the body.

"Hydrus, my love, as much as I appreciate your staring now is not the time." Bellatrix huffed at him and the bemused smile he gave her. "We need to get ready for the Ball."

He allowed her to pull him to his feet. She stripped him out of his hospital robes and before long had him soaking in a tub filled with steaming hot water and just enough cologne that it would 'leave an impression, not send a warning'. She had Kreacher wash his hair and body with magical scrubbing, trimmed his nails down with a wave of her wand, then quickly gave his hair a 'proper' trim. She hadn't shortened the length much, it still just nearly reached his shoulders, but it now had 'layers' and 'volume', whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

After that she kicked him out of the bathroom so she could wash up herself, leaving him with the task of preparing for his debutante speech. He certainly wouldn't be doing that, he'd given enough 'inspiring' speeches in his life that it was old hat at this point, but he did take the time to check the stack of mail that she'd left sitting for him on the night stand.

There was a package, and a quick peek inside confirmed it was the diaries. He'd have to make sure to send a thank you letter to the Weasley twins, as well as a 'Christmas Bonus' in lieu of a gift. No doubt they'd send it back to him on whatever the next holiday they could look up was, calling it a 'National Hogwash Day' gift or some such thing, but it was the thought that counted. There were a few letters from his fourth years simply sharing pleasantries and well wishes, saying how much they looked forward to being at the party tonight. Lastly was a response to the letter he'd had Draco deliver.

Scion Black,

House Stellavigil is deeply honoured that you reached out to us for this request. After looking into the matter, it seems you are correct, there may indeed be a small population of suffocare lapis living nearby. We were able to get into contact with the muggle boy who claimed to have seen one, and would be happy to arrange a meeting between the two of you at your earliest convenience.

Humbly and Loyally yours,

Lord Stefanos Stellavigil,

House Stellavigil

Hydrus folded the letter up. It seemed his secondary goal for this break would be achievable after all. He quickly penned a response saying that he would be available as soon as tomorrow, but that he wouldn't want to disturb on such short notice so to let him know what day would work best for them between then and the end of winter break. Once that was signed and sealed, he told Kreacher to send it off as soon as the elf was done helping Bellatrix.

He'd only just finished getting his shirt properly tucked into his trousers when his fiancee finally emerged from the bathroom, stark naked and brushing her hair.

"Wait on the robes," she 'ordered'. "I'll need to make sure they're perfect."

"As you say," he replied. He folded his arms behind his back to watch her get prepared. "Would you like to come with me to Greece tomorrow?"

"What?" She looked over at him from where she'd been powdering some makeup onto her cheeks. "Why Greece?"

"I have business there, and I feel bad for leaving you behind last time." he lied. "If you don't want to—"

"No," she near-snapped at him. "I want to, I just didn't know…" She shook her head. "We'll talk about it after the ball. There's so much you need to tell me, I just, we just—"

He'd cut her off by crossing the room and kissing the side of her face she hadn't powdered yet. "I'll leave you to it, I'm going to go talk to Arcturus."

Leaving the insane woman behind, he headed for the patriarch's study. He rapped his knuckles against the door and received what he could only assume was a 'come in' grunt in return. Arcturus had dozens of papers, a half-empty bottle of whiskey, and an ashtray scattered about his desk. A cigar was clenched in the corner of his mouth, which he removed to blow a puff of smoke and measure up Hydrus.

"Malfoy's gonna live," he said, voice quiet. "Lost the arm though."

"That was the intent." Hydrus took the seat across from his great-grandfather. "He needed to be reminded of just where he and I stand."

"I already took care of the fact that he was meeting with the Macnairs."

Hydrus sneered at the notion. "I couldn't care less about which bottom feeders he chooses to associate with. I was helping his son."

Arcturus looked him over as if trying to find a lie there, but came up with nothing.

"Where the hell'd you learn to fight like that, boy?" he asked. "And don't give me any bullshit about picking it up from some book."

"Who knows." Hydrus folded one leg over the other. "But you're more than welcome to take credit for it yourself."

The older soldier's nostrils flared, and for the briefest of moments Hydrus thought he was going to take up his wand. Eventually Arcturus settled though, and nodded.

"Fine." He glared at Hydrus. "You remind me too much of your father."

"I know." The younger man bowed his head. "But I hope it's in such a way that you can see the differences all the clearer for it."

Arcturus took another long pull from his cigar. The smoke slowly seeped out of his mouth, some of it going back up his nose as he inhaled. The paralyzed side of his face was twitching, and Hydrus wondered if the man could even feel the little muscle spasm.

"We were too hard on him," Arcturus muttered. "The more he rebelled, the tighter we pulled the leash, and it only served to drive him further and further away.

"I won't make the same mistakes with you. I can't make the same mistakes with you." He took a swig of his whiskey and finished it with a smack of his lips. "You're the last hope of this family."

Hydrus nodded, then smiled. "And what a hope it is."

"Hmph." The old man glared at him but it just made Hydrus laugh. "Cocky little shit."

"I've been called worse." He felt something approaching. "There's someone I'd like to introduce you to." With a grunt he lowered his arm to the ground. "Show yourself."

Apophis appeared, and Arcturus's eyes widened. The snake slithered up Hydrus's arm until it was situated on his shoulders, head beside his own, and the future lord reached up to stroke his feathers.

"This is Apophis. He is my familiar."

"I see." Arcturus gave a slow, approving nod. "A strong beast. But you know we can't exactly reveal it, don't you?"

"Of course not,' Hydrus agreed. "We'll need another snak-"

"What?" Apophis hissed. "What do you mean you need another snake?"

Hydrus gave the juvenile a bemused smile. "I've told you before, the world can't know that I have a basilisk, not yet. I'll be revealing my gift for your tongue tonight, and will need to prove it."

"Just prove it with me!" Hydrus sighed. "You're a wizard! Do some magic and make me look different!"

"It's not that simple, child." He reached up to try and pet the basilisk again but it pulled away. "Your scales are completely impervious to magic."

Apophis started a hiss, but it was cut short. He turned away from Hydrus to stare at the space beside him. Hydrus spared a glance at Arcturus who was frowning at the unintelligible conversation. "I should mention that he's still only a few months old. He's upset that I can't show him off, and is now pouting."

"I'm not pouting!" Hydrus flinched. "I'm listening."

"To what?"

The snake didn't answer for a few more seconds. "Lord Grandfather Herpo says that if you cast the spell from inside me, it will work."

Hydrus shivered. "Does he speak with you often?"

"I have learned much."

Well that wasn't creepy in the slightest. He sighed and drew his wand. "Since you want this so bad, do you want me to cut a hole in your flesh, or stick my wand down your throat?"

He'd meant to intimidate the basilisk, but instead it simply opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth, a miniature representation of the same maw that had nearly killed Hydrus when he was in his second year. Venom dripped down from one of its primary fangs, and Hydrus was glad that the stuff was practically harmless to him now as he slid the wand as deep as it would go.

Since he wouldn't be using any wand movements, the spellwork wouldn't receive any amplification from the tool. On one hand that meant he didn't have to worry about overpowering it, on the other it meant that he'd have to hope he still had some of the Potter touch in what little part of him was still truly his original self. "Serpenstransfigura!"

A glow emerged from the inside of the snake, and slowly it began to transform. The extra fangs sunk away into gums, the head became wider and flatter, the scales dulled from bright green to a black-and-white striped pattern with a beige underbelly. He tried to keep funnelling the magic out, but it slipped away from him before the feathers had completely shrunk away.

"Shit, I'll need to…" Apophis shook his head and the feathers vanished. Hydrus reached out and ran his hand over the snake's head, and felt that they were still there, just invisible. "That'll work."

"A cobra?" Arcturus asked.

"A king cobra." Apophis seemed to puff up at that, his newly-formed hood fanning out behind him. "An exceptionally venomous species. It will do for now."

The patriarch nodded. "So it shall."

"Ah, that reminds me of why I came to bother you in the first place," Hydrus said. "There's a rare species of serpent in Greece that I'm going to look for, for the secondary venture Bellatrix told you about. I'll be bringing her along this time so I don't have to deal with any more of her temper tantrums."

"Good." Arcturus puffed on his cigar. "And don't mind her little outbursts. She gets over them quickly and usually forgets why the hell she was mad in the first place." He shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing like her grandmother. That bat could hold a grudge for years."

Hydrus gave a chuckle. "I wish I could've met her. I could've kissed her ass and used her against you."

"Hmph." Arcturus glared at him, but Hydrus knew there wasn't any malice behind it. "She would've seen right through your little tricks and games."

"If she was anything like her granddaughter, that would only make her think I'm even more adorable."

Arcturus chuckled, then laughed at that as the scenario no doubt played through his mind. "Perhaps, perhaps."

The two settled down in silence. If there was one thing Hydrus could appreciate about the old man, it was that he wasn't one to talk when there was nothing to say. Apophis had slid down off his shoulders to explore the office and get the feel for his 'new' body; he hadn't changed much length wise, but he was certainly a good bit thinner, and the snake kept flaring and flattening his hood. Ron had picked up smoking near the end, so even Arcturus's cigar smoke felt familiar and nostalgic rather than just being a nuisance on Hydrus's nose. He closed his eyes and had nearly drifted off by the time Bellatrix came to retrieve him.

Hydrus took a sip from his wine after dodging yet another 'subtle' question about whether or not he would become the next heir. That was an answer he would have them decide on their own. Bellatrix was off talking to Narcissa and some other noble women, Arcturus was dealing with the lords who'd already begun questioning Lucius's absence, and Hydrus was left to mingle with the rest of the crowd.

Honestly things were better than he'd expected. He'd had to proverbially backhand a few annoying sycophants, and it was shocking how many grown women were trying to 'subtly' catch his attention, but at least he was getting drunk on wines older than Arcturus himself courtesy of the Delacours. His friends had made sure to come by in 'shifts' as well to make sure he wouldn't be too bored. Draco was still avoiding him, but that would either wear off or he would have to come up with new plans for the Malfoy family.

Hellena and Tamina were currently standing on either side of him when he finally managed to shake off the reporter who'd been pestering him for the past ten minutes. It seemed that he would get a brief reprieve when no one came to immediately take the hole left in the man and his date's wake.

"Perhaps if I drink enough, I'll simply blink and wake up to this being over already," he mused aloud. "Who knows, I might not even have to give the stupid speech then."

"Something tells me Lord Arcturus knows plenty of spells to sober you up," Tamina said.

"Fair enough." He took another sip just in case the old man didn't. "How's your winter break been, Hellena?"

"Fine, just fine." She smiled. "Tamina came to visit me a few times."

Hydrus laughed. "Sounds better than fine, then."

"Hm." Hellena seemed to ponder that for a moment. "I think you're right."

"Tell me," he said. "Do you speak Greek?"

"No." She shook her head. "I can write it though."

"Wonderful." He ignored Tamina's furrowed brows. "I may or may not need to borrow your skills soon."

"Okay."

Hellena didn't even look the slightest bit curious. Hydrus smiled and shook his head, though he was careful not to make it obnoxious with Tamina so close. Perhaps he really should go through with his marriage to Hellena. He'd get a translator, she'd get a beard; he'd get another family bowing to his whims, she'd get to live like a queen with her girlfriend. Now that he thought about it, if he was going to go through with the Tankle marriage, he might as well get the Dours on his side as well. Neither family was particularly powerful or rich, if they had been Voldemort would've kept them around, but every vote counted.

"What's on your mind?" Tamina asked.

"Thinking about marrying you," he admitted. "Figure I could just go through with the whole shebang with Hellena, that way you two can just relax and I can get some more political prowess."

Tamina snorted. "Didn't you already agree to that? The part about including me in the temporary marriage contract, I mean?"

"What?" He frowned. "I did?"

"Well, Bellatrix did," she said. "Didn't she tell you?"

Hydrus sucked his teeth. "As a matter of fact she didn't. She's been having a bit of a temper tantrum lately."

Honestly, if it weren't for his newly acquired familiar, the woman who was twice his physical age would somehow be the most immature person he associated with. At least in this instance he couldn't be too mad at her, at least she'd come to the right conclusion with the two girls.

"A temper tantrum?" Tamina asked. "Which one of you is thirty again?"

Hydrus cast over-the-top looks back and forth. "You'd be amazed what sewer water and hedgehog acupuncture can do for your skin. I'm thirty-six."

Tamina snorted. "I'll make sure to remember."

Hydrus jumped and spun around when someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was Sirius with some woman he barely recognized on his arm. The man threw up his hands in an 'I surrender' motion, and Hydrus's heart sank. What on earth was he doing here?

"Didn't mean to startle you," his father said. "Sorry about that."

"Why are you here?" Hydrus demanded. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"I invited him." He turned away from the wide-eyed, frowning face of Sirius to see Arcturus had come up behind him. "He's going to earn his place back in this family tonight."

"Why wasn't I informed?"

A gnarled smile took hold of Arcturus. "Who knows."

Hydrus's hand twitched towards his wand, and the grin slipped off Arcturus's face for the briefest of moments. It took several deep breaths to even think straight again. Fine. If he couldn't stop Sirius from getting hurt, he'd at least shatter the ice sooner rather than later.

"So be it then." He turned back to Sirius. "I don't need you here. I don't want you here. You don't belong here." The man looked like he'd been stabbed, and Hydrus stepped closer to lean up and whisper. "You are not, and will never be, my father."

Burying the guilt away so hard and fast that any peace he'd found in the wake of his breakdown was lost to him, Hydrus swept away from the others. A part of him wanted to go find Bellatrix and express his displeasure at her keeping this a secret, but what little rationality he had left reminded him that murder in front of so many people would be a bad look. He climbed several flights of stairs, knowing he'd either be alone or that anyone who'd snuck up here would be free game to kill as trespassers. He eventually found a ladder that brought him to the top of one of Castle Black's spires. He opened the trapdoor to clamber the rest of the way up, slammed the door shut with his foot, and gazed out over the landscape.

As soon as he did, he gasped.

The castle had been built on a cliff's edge, looming over the ocean on one side and several hundred acres of land on the other. The grass was long and would scratch and tear at your flesh if you walked through it, and the fang-like crags jutting up from the water below promised a swift death for any divers. The ravens he'd disturbed from their perches with his arrival had settled down on other sections of the walls, cawing and screaming at him.

He'd been here before.

Back then it'd been called Castle LeStrange.

He laughed. It seemed not even time travel, deals with gods, and the literal destruction of this hell hole would stop him from being tortured within its walls. The Black madness slowly swallowing him in its mirth had him lift his wand, but when he was just about to perform a repeat of his previous cairn-building experience, someone grabbed his shoulder. They spun him around and before he even knew who it was they'd slapped him.

Hydrus blinked. It was the woman who'd been with Sirius, wearing a black dress with ruby accessories. Her hair was cascading down her shoulders in curly waves, and her eyes were glaring at him so fiercely he couldn't help but wonder if she'd somehow known what he was about to do in his madness.

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded, almost snarling. "To talk to him like that? After all he's done for you?"

He holstered his wand and rubbed at his cheek. "I think I'm the fourteen-year old boy a grown woman just slapped."

"You don't get to say you don't 'need' a father in one breath and play the child card in the next." She clenched her fists. "That man—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "But it's your turn now, who the fuck do you think you are?"

He flared his magic, it had practically been spilling over anyways in his madness, and waited for her to wilt. She didn't.

"I am Auror Captain Amelia Bones," she said. "I'm the woman your father asked to marry because of how desperate he was to be a part of his son's life again."

Ah. That explained it. He bowed his head. "Scion Bones-"

"Auror. Captain. Bones."

His eye twitched. "I'm sorry if my own desires have gotten in the way of your dreams of promotion, Amelia."

"Excuse me?"

"Sirius was excommunicated for running away from his marriage contract, you want to be the next head of the DMLE." He nodded his head as it became clearer to him. "He marries you and Arcturus gets his favourite grandchild back, you get the support of the Black family in your next bid for the job."

Amelia lifted her hand up again, but this time Hydrus was sane and prepared. He banished her away and she slammed against the parapet. It knocked the wind out of her, but she would be fine.

"I allowed you to strike me once, as it helped clear my head." That reminded him to tuck his hair back behind his ears. "There will not be a second time."

It took her a few more seconds to recover, and when she did she shook her head. "He loves you."

"I know." He looked away. "And if you loved him, you'd be by his side. Instead you're up here with me, proving exactly why he and the sort of woman he'd want to marry don't belong in this family."

"That's not what love is." She finally straightened up. "Love is going and talking to your idiotic future step-son when he's doing something wrong, because your idiotic future husband is too much of a coward to do it himself." Amelia stared him down without hesitation. "You think just because you can push a lot of magic around, it means you know everything? You're fourteen! You-"

Hydrus turned away, drew his wand, and finally unleashed the magic that had been building up inside of him. Much like the incident with Malfoy Manor in his original life, there was no spell work to it, he just needed to better direct the explosive force bursting out of his soul and send it flying towards the ocean. It hit the surface like a breached leviathan, causing twin tidal waves to come rising out from the sea-floor and crash against one another, spraying him with brine even from this far away and sending the whole castle shaking to its roots.

"A lot of magic?" Hydrus asked quietly as the ocean continued to chaotically froth and shift. He turned back around. "Just 'a lot', of magic?

"Amelia, I have more magic coursing through every fibre of my being than the entire historical Bones line combined. I have enough magic to put Albus Dumbledore to shame. I worship Magic, and she has blessed me in turn." The woman had finally broken, pale and clutching the castle wall as it shook from the seismic activity he caused. "All trapped in this underdeveloped, hormonal body I call my own. At any given moment I can, and have considered, killing half the people I find myself surrounded by."

"Hydrus…"

"The last thing I need in my fucking life is my father, the only person in the entire world I still love, around me and fucking up my emotional stability." He glanced down at his functioning arm, he'd managed to burn off the sleeve and there were several patches of charred, smouldering skin exposed. Why the hell was his magic becoming less stable as time went on? "So you're going to leave. You're going to go find Sirius. You're going to tell-"

He was cut off by her embrace. "Hydrus. Just stop, it's alright."

"Mph." He tried pulling away, but the woman had him in a vice grip. Merlin it was hard being trapped in this pathetic body. "A-, Amelia."

"Hush."

Hydrus wasn't sure if he was older than the woman her not, but it hardly mattered with how patronising all this felt. She could've been Dumbledore's age and he still would've rolled his eyes. He was saved by the only woman he was more annoyed with popping her head up from the trap door.

"Hydrus, are you…" Bellatrix stopped, not even fully emerged, and her mouth dropped. "Hydrus?"

Finally Amelia pulled away, saying, "You must be—"

"Bellatrix," Hydrus cut in before his fiancee could snap. "This is Amelia Bones, Sirius's future wife, trying and failing to be my mother." He flicked his jaw up at Bellatrix and sneered. "You may now leave."

Her mouth worked up and down, but no words came out. Before they could, another, much scalier head popped up. Hydrus sighed as Apophis, still transfigured into a cobra, appeared and began to slither towards him. Amelia gasped at the sight.

"Father," the snake hissed. "Do it again! They were so scared!"

"I'm not in the mood," he hissed back as the snake climbed up his leg and onto his shoulders. Amelia's eyes grew even wider. "Where have you been?"

"You're no fun," Apophis grumbled. "I was marking and hunting. This castle is now mine."

"Fine by me." He glanced over to see Bellatrix still there, still halfway out of the trap door. "I believe I told you to leave, Scion Black."

"What?" She finally seemed to snap out her stupor. "Hydrus, what's—"

"You betrayed me," he said, cold and hard. "I could overlook you not telling me about making not one, but two engagement agreements that night. But to not tell me about Sirius's hare-brained attempt to return to this family? Letting him try and upstage me as the rightful heir to House Black?" The woman looked like she was about to cry. "You're dismissed, Scion Black."

She didn't say anything. She just slammed the door shut and Hydrus was left with his wannabe step-mom and wannabe step-snake-son. He sighed.

The winds were beginning to pick up now and the ocean was finally settling. The weight of his magical expenditure was beginning to finally dawn on him, and he regretted putting such a big exclamation point on his example. All he could smell now was the sea, and he wondered if perhaps he'd lived up to the mythological aspects of his name sake and ruined everything in that tidal wave he caused.

"You lied to her," Amelia said eventually. "That's not why you're mad he's back."

"Don't think just because you're an auror it means you can read me."

"I don't need to be one, or your 'mother' for that matter, to see which reason you gave is true." Amelia shook her head. "You want to protect him, but he doesn't need your protection."

Hydrus let lose a growl. "It's not him I'm trying to protect."

He gave up and left. If the Bones woman wouldn't leave him alone, he'd just have to make the retreat himself. It took him a while to work up the motivation to actually make his way to the main hall, and by the time he did, he'd already worked out his speech. He didn't bother to fix his dress robe sleeves, his outburst had clearly been noticed already and there was no harm in making it clear who exactly was responsible for it. A few people gasped as he made his way towards the gargantuan 'main' fireplace, above which the manticore's head was hung and posed into a snarling expression. Still unable to do it without his wand, he waved the instrument and the floor transfigured itself into a platform for him to stand on. Another wave brought him a glass of wine.

He turned back around to face the crowd, the manticore's skull trophy behind him, and by the time he'd cast the sonorous spell there wasn't an eye that wasn't already on him and Apophis.

"You already know who I am," he said quietly with his voice echoing around the room. "And you know what I am capable of.

"So allow me to speak on what you may not be aware of." He sipped his wine. "I am a bastard child, born out of wedlock to a woman who's name I don't even know. She died shortly after I was born." His gaze swept out across the room. "But she gave me a gift, an inheritance, so that I could be protected and loved no matter where I went."

He hissed, and Apophis reared up. The crowd gasped as the cobra fanned its hood and bore its fangs. "Fear me!" the snake cried out. "Fear the son of the one called Hydrus!"

"She was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, and thus has left me not just the legacy of House Black to stand atop of, but his as well." Whispers and murmuring were buzzing everywhere, he now looked over a sea of wide-eyes and gaping mouths interspersed with shocked side-glances. "But it isn't enough for me.

"There is so much more in this world that I wish to call my own, and for me to serve in turn." His eyes finally found Draco, and despite the fact that the boy already knew of his secret, he looked awed. "Some of you have already shown me loyalty and friendship. Others who cannot join us have learned the price of crossing me." The mutterings grew louder. "I'm sure there will be more to come, of both the former and latter, but for now I simply wish for you all to remember this."

He reached out to draw on Bellatrix's magic, but much more than that came to him. He saw Arcturus nearly double over, as did a few other raven-haired guests that he realised must've been his grandparents and grand-uncle. Bellatrix wasn't anywhere to be seen.

'Iiiiinteresting' he thought. 'Seems Bella isn't the only one's magic I can take. Maybe there really is something to this 'true' lord of House Black shit.'

He flared the magic he'd received out, burning through it like a pagan's sacrificial blaze. The power practically roared around him, deafening him to the world and spreading out around him to a chorus of gasps and even a few screams. The windows began to frost over, the torches along the walls faded out, and the glass of wine he'd snagged on the way had become frozen. The only light left in the room was the massive fireplace behind him, casting an impressive silhouette of himself and Apophis.

"What you see and feel before you now," he said. "Is just the beginning."

With that he finally dimmed his magic. He cancelled his sonorous charm and took up some floo powder, throwing it down as he stepped into the fire.

"Black Summer Home."

After a breath to calm himself, Hydrus opened the door to his bedroom.

Bellatrix was lying on the bed, still wearing her dress and with her face buried in a pillow. The thing was smeared black with makeup and tears, and she gave a loud sniffle at his entrance. It was strange how guilt could still pull at his heart strings for a woman who'd killed so many of his loved ones, but pull it did. He closed the door behind him and sat down on the side of the bed, the small of his back pressed against her side.

They remained silent for a while. Bellatrix would occasionally hiccup, he would occasionally cough or clear his throat, and all in all it was about as awkward a time as he could still remember with one of his romantic pursuits; especially since what little he remembered from his time with Ginny, he'd been the one getting pursued. Eventually Bellatrix lifted her head up a touch.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. "I didn't mean to."

He waited for a while to respond, trying to make sure he didn't snap at her again. "You were mad at me for not taking you with me to retrieve the ring and Apophis."

"That's not why I did it!" she practically screamed into her pillow. His nostrils flared at the outburst. "It's not!"

After another few deep breaths, he pressed. "Why don't you sit up and tell me why then."

She sniffled and shook her head. "No."

"Please, Bella?" he asked. "I want to see your pretty face."

"It's not pretty," she argued. "My makeup is ruined."

"If you think that's bad, you should see my arm."

She rocketed up and Hydrus couldn't stop himself from barking out a laugh at the panic in her eyes. Her mouth fell open at the sight of his burns. "What did you do?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed."

He should probably get on with that. Without his left hand to do the waving it was a bit tricky, but eventually he'd healed the burns as Bellatrix watched on. When he was finished he held out the limb for her to properly examine.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You felt what happened." He pulled the arm away from her grasp and wrapped it around her waist so she couldn't bury her face away again. "Didn't you see it then?"

Bellatrix turned away and glared. "You were too busy hugging that ugly woman."

"I wasn't hugging her, I was getting hugged," he said with a grimace. "Like I said, she thinks just because she's shagging Sirius that means she has to be my mother."

"I still don't like her."

"That's fine." Hydrus leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Now explain why you decided to hide such crucial information from me."

"I'm sorry."

It was all he could do to not snap at her. Things with Fleur had been a lot messier and harder to emotionally manage than it was with Bellatrix, but at least the French woman knew how to communicate. There had never been any doubt as to what she was thinking at any given time in fact. With the insane Black it was like trying to read tea leaves, except the leaves were poisonous and constantly hiding things from him. He was saved from potentially ruining his progress with the woman by Bellatrix finally speaking up again.

"I'm scared you'll leave me," she said quietly. "That you'll pick him over me like they all did."

"What?"

She buried her face in his chest and Hydrus was forced to wait once more. Eventually he began to stroke her back as the crying started up again. They were both awkwardly positioned at this point, so he slowly leaned them back so that they could be lying down together. After a few more hiccups and sniffles, his fiancee continued.

"No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many times he messed up, they always loved him more," she said. "They always gave him the most attention, the most affection, the most of everything. They always picked him over me, and I'm scared you'll do the same thing and leave me."

"I promise I won't." Hydrus leaned down and kissed her. She didn't quite return it, but she also didn't pull away. When he finally gave up on trying to cheer her up that way, he rested his forehead against hers to force her away from burying her face away again. "Don't you think I'm scared that you'll leave me?"

"What?" She furrowed her brows and Hydrus had to ignore the way it tickled his own face. "Why?"

"When I graduate, I fully intend to have a seat on the Wizengamot. Even if it means that I have to kill Arcturus to get it." Her eyes widened. "Now that Sirius is back, you've allowed a potential obstacle in the way of that goal. One that I cannot, or rather, will not, destroy."

She might not have been able to hide, but she did still close her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I once said that you'll continue to be loyal to me so long as I am a Black," Hydrus said. "If I cannot be head of this house when I come of age, then I will leave it. Even if that means leaving you."

"I wouldn't let you," Bellatrix said with a sniffle. "I'd make you stay here."

"You know that you aren't able to do that." He had to be careful with his tone, not harsh enough to set her off again, but still leaving no doubts as to how serious he was. "You are, without question, the most valuable person in this entire world to me. You're powerful enough to stand by my side, you're famous enough to draw in others, you're as beautiful a woman as possible, and you know how to be the perfect noblewoman whenever the occasion arises.

"There is no one else I would rather have at my side." He placed a kiss on her nose and finally she smiled. "But you would abandon me if I abandoned this house."

"No." She shook her head. "I promise I won't."

"You were ready to kill me before you found out I was a Black," Hydrus shot back. "Probably thinking of what to do with my organs after you disembowelled me."

"But you are a Black," Bellatrix said. "Even if you leave."

"Or maybe I'm just some wizard powerful enough to confounded the lot of you into believing I am," he said. "Or perhaps I've just possessed the body of some bastard child in order to take your riches for myself."

She kissed him now, and Hydrus allowed the intimacy to go on for far too long to try and help get her back to normal. Finally she broke away. "You'd still be powerful," she whispered. "Still be mine."

"I hope that I never have to find out if you're being honest."

Hydrus pulled her in close. If there was one thing he and the serpents he now solely ruled over had in common, it was that they both enjoyed cuddling up with warm things. There were still a great many things he planned to talk with her about, but considering she was already drifting off, it seemed that they were both exhausted. He closed his eyes.

'Magic,' he thought. 'I'm going to bed. I still need more information about whatever the hell your warning was that day.' Bellatrix nuzzled tighter to his chest. 'And like I said last night, I hope we're back to even scales since you decided to drain me dry. I'll try and find time to make some sort of proper sacrifice to you if it'll get you to explain what you meant.'

Sirius sat on the edge of the cliff behind Castle Black, not at all feeling the cold as he stared out over the ocean. Amelia hadn't said anything since returning from chasing after Hydrus. She'd just sat down beside him, leaned against his side, and joined him in watching the waves. Eventually he broke.

"Do you remember what I told you when I first asked you to marry me?" he asked.

"You said a lot of things." She looked up at him with a gentle smile. "They were all very sweet."

He shook his head. "No, I mean the first time. I asked, and you said you didn't want to catch a disease."

"Ah." She nodded. "And you said the only thing I'd catch is family drama."

"Right. Wanted to remind you of that before saying 'I told you so', just in case you forgot."

She laughed and he allowed himself a small smile. When he'd said that, he hadn't expected it to stem from him and Hydrus.

"I promise I'm not just saying this because it's what I think you want to hear," Amelia said. "But he's definitely your son. Just as pig-headed and stupid."

"What did he say?"

She told him about the conversation, the way nearly destroyed the castle with the spell he threw at the ocean, the way it ate away at his arm, the reasons he said what he did, both real and fake. It felt like there was a part of the story she was leaving out but he wasn't sure what that could be. When she finished they returned to silence for a while so that Sirius could process it all.

Eventually, he said, "I don't know what to do."

"Way I see it, you've got two options." She rubbed at his back, and Sirius was seriously beginning to wonder if there was something about his aura that led to both his animagus being a dog, and people always trying to pet him. "You could respect his wishes. Leave him be, still get married to me obviously, and just let him stay comfortable all on his own."

"Or?"

"Or you could be his father."

Sirius snorted. "I think you'd get along with Lily."

BBaRtS

Another chapter down, who knows how many more to go. Still working on the chapter 15 rewrite, but its definitely on the back-back burner compared to just writing the actual future content. I got sick earlier in the week so I only ended up writing around 4k words total between last post and this one.

Lots of love for the Regulus reveal at the end. Not gonna lie, him living that #BeGayDoCrime life style has been something planned from the very beginning. I love him and Sirius both being rebellious little shits, but doing it in very different ways.

I saw a lot of support for Hydrus trying to patch things up with Bellatrix as well, which made me nervous for this chapter lolol. That being said, I also felt like this is a more realistic/reasonable play out for: A) Just because he had a breakdown and vented doesn't mean he's just A-Okay mentally, and B) Saying you're going to be nicer to someone doesn't make it easy. Especially when that person is someone who tortured you and whom you spent years fighting pitched, life or death battles against. We've watched him going from being 'cautious, trying to worm his way in' Hydrus to 'Oh I can control your magic? You're no longer a threat, I can do whatever I want' Hydrus, and he hasn't found a balance yet.

Next chapter we'll be off to Greece to find a snake, and then back to Hogwarts to deal with some nargles and nerds. Review Q/A:

"Not sure how I feel about him seemingly getting nerfed at the end," nah he wasn't nerfed like you saw in this chapter, he just got juice boxed.

"Are there going to be lemons?" Nop, I won't be avoiding the subject of sex/intimacy itself, but no graphic depictions of the act.

"Maxine and Karkaroff haven't been mentioned" Honestly I don't remember if they'd been specifically name dropped in the champions selection scenes, but they are still responsible for their schools. The other position you mentioned being unnamed is intentional though ;)

(Posted for an earlier chapter) "Firstly, he's british and like all sane humans in the world that aren't from America, it's called football." Listen, the Brits started calling it soccer long before the Americans did, they just switched to Football somewhere along the way. This review has made me decide my new head cannon is that the wizarding world still calls it soccer as yet another anachronism.

That's all for this week, thank you all so much for the reviews, see you next Saturday, lessthanthree!